Why airguns

Every little kid should own an air gun.
I had one since I was about 10 and it taught me a lot about guns, safety and how to shoot .... by the time I went to the army I was the second best shot in my company and only ever owned a pellet gun.

I bought my little boy his own pellet gun at age of 6, even though its still a bit big and heavy for him I am going to make sure he can shoot matches at 10 yards as soon as he can hold it properly :D
 
I find that this air gun addiction is evolution. A lot of us here have started shooting a bb or pellet gun when we were young. Then we became of age where we could buy and afford a powder burner.... usually a .22 rimfire. That became a varmint rifle... then a moose, deer, bear rifle.... bought a few shotguns.... all this made us better marksmen and hunters. A lot of people become complacent with our precision powder burners. Ho Hum... put it in the scope and squeeze the trigger.... dead target.

We start to age and long for more of a challenge. So we start looking for a challenge. Some people go to a crossbow. That becomes too easy or not as challenging, so we buy a Compound bow... again complacency creeps in and we buy a recurve or longbow.

Next thing we know we have kids and have a great excuse to buy a airgun. We buy a cheapo and have a blast with it. Get involved with a few people and forums with airguns we decide to buy a better one so we can shoot with our kids.

Next thing we have a load of precision and powerful airguns. We love to shoot them. No need for hearing protection usually. Eye wear is a must. A walk in the woods becomes a target hunting experience... apples, corn cobs, crab apples, milk weed pods, knots on trees, pine cones, garbage, dirt clumps... all of this without making much or any noise. What a great day! And if you shoot 500 shots in a day you may be able to burn up $10.

For those of you that think there isn't much in a airgun to award the sometimes hefty price I would argue. Look at a couple of schematics and tell me what has the most parts. Powder burners or Air guns?

If you want a lot of fun expect to pay a good price for a quality air gun and scope. I have 3 PAL guns and a bunch that aren't. My air guns feel like rifles. Full size stocks and 7 lbs or more in weight. The have lots of power too (not PB power) but lots. My 860fps BSA shoots through 7 inches of water in a washer fluid jug. Yes I mean it shoots all the way through!

Take a chance and I guarantee you will love shooting again.

Chris
 
I have a couple old spring operated .177's, one is a break action the other uses a weird under barrel lever system. They're fun, I rarely use them but pellet guns were my introduction to firearms so they'll always have a home with me. They're also great for killing nuisances, field mice, problem birds, etc.
 
I use mine to shoot grackles in my back yard. They make such a mess of the pool cover. A few years ago I invited my neighbour over for a beer. He has bird feeders so he likes birds. When he saw the pool cover he said I understand why you shoot them. Even saw one drop some crap as it flew over. They clean out the nest as the young ones grow,land on the edge of the pool and leave it there.
 
I used them as a kid for gophers, with the old one I had you had to get a good head shot to get a kill. I think it helped with my shooting a lot having to take the time and patence to get a head shot. My parents would pay me per gopher tail I could bring back, so I had to kill them out of their hole so it had to be good shots.

Now I live on an acreage surrounded by other acreages, and my desire to shoot gophers is higher than ever, when cant go back to the parents farn and use the 22 or 223 I can still go around home with the air gun. I have one tht shoots 1250 ft/second and managed to get 7 the other day (3 that didnt make it downt their hole, 4 that made it in the hole but I could still see them down there dying)

A lot of fun without the fear that the other acreage residents around will complain about the gun shots coming from my place.
 
Like them and really cheap practising.
Today I own two rifles and and two pistols. BSA Superport rifles and Webley Tempest pistols, in .177 and .22. Like the bigger .22 better, gives more punch.

My wishlist includes a RWS/Diana 350 rifle in .22 with a plastic stock and the shortest version to get weight down. This one is a good quality powerhouse rifle. (And also a Gamo Socom 1100 or Socom 1250 in .22 of course).

One thing I regret is that sold my Webley Eclipse in .25.:mad: But I sold it because of the weight.
 
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Living in a dense suburban area, with air guns, I can practice shooting in my backyard. It wouldn't be possible, even with a .22

Also, I teach to my kids the basic shooting technics and the firearms safety rules.

EX
 
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